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I met Seth Godin

Seth is one of the most influential writers in my life. My Dad gave me my first Seth book in college, Free Prize Inside! and my work has changed ever since that day. Tribes and Linchpin are my two favorites if you’re looking for one to start with.

When I heard Seth was speaking at Craft+Commerce it was literally a dream come true. It sounds a little silly, but hearing Seth speak in person is something I’ve tried to make happen several times before. For it to happen at a conference I was involved in was even better. Shout out to Barrett Brooks for making that happen!

On the day Seth spoke, a couple of hours before his keynote, I saw him finishing up a conversation with my new friend Austin, and I saddled up next to them. After Austin said goodbye, Seth turned to me and said “Hi! How are you today? You’re with ConvertKit right?”

I was floored. Seth continued…

I saw your picture on the team page. You’ve been on the team a while, correct? Really cool what you all are building, very special. I hope you enjoy the ride. This doesn’t happen often.

Wait, this isn’t how it goes… Seth isn’t supposed to know things about me. One of the best selling authors in the world doesn’t need to visit team pages and notice things about employees. He’s not supposed to initiate a conversation with me.

I managed to get some words out, couldn’t help being a fanboy at this point! Even a week later, I’m struck by his attention to detail and the care he showed everyone there. I told him about my Dad and the first book, how we’ve always talked about new books when they came out.

Then Seth surprised me one more time, and said “Hey why don’t we take a picture for your Dad?”

I like to think I’m self aware enough to know when I’m being a little over-the-top, and this was one of those moments. Was it a bit silly to be this excited about meeting a writer? In the grand scheme of life, sure. But in my life, this was a big deal and I’m glad I embraced the moment (but not Seth, didn’t hug him).

We snapped a quick photo and Seth said goodbye. He delivered a great keynote and delivered on every expectation we had of him, which is really difficult!

Years ago I wrote Seth an email, and he wrote back to me. That’s a common story, Seth replies to lots of emails. Combine that with noticing something about my work and you have an uncommon man doing small, common things. I would never think that Seth Godin has time to do that, but it’s doing those things that has made him “Seth Godin”.

It’s easy to get stuck thinking that I’ve moved past small, common things myself in the pursuit of big things. But if Seth can notice small things that make a big impact on people, then I know I can also and should never stop.

If you like, please share something that you’re working on or would like help promoting. May just be a tweet or an email, but I’d love to help you get the word out on something special you’re working on. Thanks!

Everything I Know

I write about developing your best self, regularly delivered on Friday